Stripper for hand-knitting apparatus



0d 24, 1961 E. BAUER 3,005,326

STRIPPER FOR HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 .Eigl 3 2a 4 2l 2 1 6 2b o 70 Y xi 7 I3 20 wb El l 73 y l 20a--I'r l0 I I l Oct. 24, 1961 E. BAUER STRIPPER FOR HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1958 nited States The present invention relates to a stripper for a hand knitting apparatus of the type having a needle bed, a striking comb through which the knitting needles extend during the knitting operation, a sliding lock for actuating the needles, and retaining means mounted on said lock in front of said comb for pressing the knitting against the striking comb.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in knitting machines of the aforementioned type elements for pulling down the knitting which hangs on the knitting needles so that stitches are formed in an orderly fashion. The sliding lock of the knitting machine according to the invention is provided with two swingable elements individually having arms which are placed in front of the striking comb and which individually extend laterally from shafts which are rotatably mounted on a bracket extending from the sliding lock forward of the striking comb. The arms normally are in a position in which they are adjacent to the knitting and parallel to the plane of the striking comb whereby the arms extend from the shaft in a downwardly slanted position in which they trail the movement of the lock. Due to frictional engagement of the arms with the knitting the arms are swung around when the direction of movement of the lock is reversed so that they are always in a trailing position. The shaft portion of the element is provided with two abutments limiting the swinging movement of the elements.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, and additional objects and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of the part of the lock on which the stripper according to the invention is mounted and of a part of the knitting machine which is adjacent to the stripper.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a part of the part of the lock shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of the part of the lock shown in FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow III.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a part of a knitting machine provided with a stripper according to the invention.

Like parts are designated by like numerals in all figures of the drawing.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, numeral 1 designates a needle bed on which parallel knitting needles 2 are longitudinally slidable. The needles have. heads provided with hooks 2b and with swingable tongues or latches 2a for closing the hooks. The rear ends of the needles, not shown, have feet which are actuated upon in the conventional manner by a cam mounted on a lock 22, for advancing the needles through and retracting the needles from a striking comb 3 mounted on the frame of the knit-ting machine in front of the needle bed 1 and consisting of teeth 4 and a bar 5 at the end of the teeth.

A stripper 7 includes a support plate 10 which is mounted by bolts 8 and nuts 9 on a bracket 6 extending from the lock 22. Two guide pins 11 are riveted to the plate 10, the pins extending through slots y12 in a counter plate 13 and supporting the counter plate 13 by means aient 0 Patented Oct. 24, 1961 of washers 14 and split rings 14a. The longitudinal axes of the slots 12 are normal to the direction of movement of the lock which is indicated by an arrow 15 in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that the counter plate 13 is movable towards and from the striking comb 3. The counter plate 13 is pressed against the comb 3 by means of springs 16 which are placed between a portion of the support plate 10 which is bolted to the bracket 6 and a plate portion 17 bent rectangularly out of the counter plate 13. The latter serves as a retaining means for retaining the knitting on the comb.

Two or more plate members 19 are riveted by means of rivets 18 to the counter plate 13. The plate members individually swingably support elements 20 which are formed of wire and which have shaft portions 20a swingable in suitable bearing portions of the plates 19 between two extreme positions. One end of each element 20 is so bent as to form an arm 20h at one end of the shaft portion 20a, the arm being close to the comb 3 and engaging the knitting depending from the comb 3. The otherend of the wire forming the element 20 is bent to form the abutments 20c which are placed substantially at a right angle. s

When knitting, the yarn is laid into the hooks 2b at the head end of the needles projecting through the comb 3. The needles are then pulled back by the lock 22 whereby the yarn resting in the hooks 2b is retained on the teeth 4 of theA striking comb 3 andA assumes an undulating configuration.V The upper loop of `the previous stitch 21 closes the latch 2a upon movement of the needle 2 to the right and the stitch is finally dropped over the closed needle head whereby the new stitch is formed.

During the following advance movement of the needle 2 to the left in FIG. 1 the knitting is retained on the striking comb 3 so that the new stitch hanging in the needle head swings the latch 2a backwards and glides over the opened latch onto the shaft of the knitting needle.

To assure proper continuation of the knitting operation a downward pull must be exerted on the knitting when the needle 2 is pushed forward, to the left in FIG. 1. If such pull is not exerted the stitch loop 21 may ride and stand up on the comb 3 so that the needle 2 will pierce through the recently formed stitch and undo it. This causes faulty knitting, for example, dropped stitches and is prevented by the provision of the swingable element 20.

If the lock moves in the direction of the arrow 15 in FIG. 3, the arm 20h is moved counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by the frictional engagement with the knitting into a trailing position and is arrested in this position by one of the abutments 20c. Upon reversal of movement of the lock, the arm 2Gb is moved clockwise by the frictional engagement with the knitting in the position shown in dash-dot lines in FIG. 3 and is held in this position by the other abutment 20c. During each of these movements of the arm 2Gb a downward pull is exerted on the knitting, the downward pull preventing riding up and formation of dropped stitches whenever the needles 2 are advanced. As seen in FIG. 1, the arm 20b engages the last produced stitches which form the top stitch row of the knitting and presses these stitches downward upon movement of the lock. This action is similar to that of a plowshare. Since the arm 12017 is free to swing on the axis of the shaft 20a and into the required pull-down position upon reversal of the direction of movement of the lock, the same arm produces the pull-down effect in both directions of movement of the lock.

After the previously formed stitch has moved past the closed latch 2a and has been thrown down over the front of the head of the needle the subsequent stitch hanging on the hook 2b is retained on the counter or retaining plate 'i3 when the needle 2 is farther advanced so that the latch 2 is swung to the rear and opened and the newly formed stitch moves past the opened latch onto the shaft of the needle 2 whereafter the knitting operation can be continued in the described manner.

I claim:

1. In a hand knitting apparatus a needle bed, a plurality of parallel knitting needles slidable on said bed, a striking comb connected with said bed, a lock slidably and reciprocatingly movable on said bed in a direction normal to the longitudinal axes of said needles for actuating said needles, a substantially plane retaining means connected to said lock for retaining the knitting on said comb, and at least two elements individually swingably mounted on said retaining means to swing on axes which are parallel to said retaining means and normal to the direction of the movement of the lock, each of said elements having an arm placed substantially parallel to the plane of said comb and adjacent to the knitting for pulling down the knitting hanging on the comb.

2. In a hand knitting apparatus as dened in claim 1 and wherein said elements are formed of wire.

3. In a hand knitting apparatus a needle bed, a plurality of parallel knitting needles slidable on said bed, a striking comb connected with said bed, a lock slidably and reciprocatingly movable on said bed in a direction normal to the longitudinal axes of said needles for actuating said needles, retaining means movably connected to said lock for moving in a plane toward and from said comb for retaining the knitting thereon, and at least two elements individually having an arm portion substantially parallel to the plane of and adjacent to said comb, said elements being swingably mounted on said retaining means to swing on axes parallel to the plane in which said retaining means is movable and normal to the direction of movement of the lock for allowing swinging of said arm portions upon reversal of movement of the lock to trail the lock during either direction of movement of the lock.

4. In a hand knitting apparatus a needle bed, a plurality of parallel knitting needles slidable on said bed, a striking 'comb connected with said bed, a lock slidably and reciprocatingly movable on said bed in a direction normal to the longitudinal axes of said needles for actuating said needles, retaining means movably connected'to said lock for moving in a plane toward and from said comb for retaining the knitting thereon, and at least two elements each having a shaft portion oscillatingly supported by said retaining means and positioned parallel to the plane in which said retaining means is movable and normal to the direction of movement of the lock, said elements each having an arm extending at an angle from said shaft portion and being substantially parallel to the plane of and adjacent to said comb, said elements including means adapted to abut against said retaining means for limiting oscillation of said elements to hold said arms in a downwardly slanted position, trailing said shaft portions at movement of said llock in either direction for pulling down the knitting hanging on the comb.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,837,903 Tuchsinger June 10, 1958 2,847,839 Lehner-Stirnemann Aug. 19, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,090,296 France Oct. 13, 1954 

